By Bivins                                        S.B. No. 151

      75R987 CAS-D                           

                                A BILL TO BE ENTITLED

 1-1                                   AN ACT

 1-2     relating to a secondary assessment instrument for certain public

 1-3     school students.

 1-4           BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS:

 1-5           SECTION 1.  Section 39.023(b), Education Code, is amended to

 1-6     read as follows:

 1-7           (b)  The agency shall also adopt secondary exit-level

 1-8     assessment instruments designed to assess competencies in

 1-9     mathematics and English language arts.  The English language arts

1-10     section must include the assessment of writing competencies.  The

1-11     agency shall also adopt a separate secondary assessment instrument

1-12     designed to assess student readiness for higher education.  A

1-13     student must take that assessment instrument before entering an

1-14     institution of higher education.  A student is not otherwise

1-15     required to take that assessment instrument.  The State Board of

1-16     Education shall administer the assessment instruments.  The State

1-17     Board of Education shall adopt a schedule for the administration of

1-18     [secondary exit-level] assessment instruments adopted under this

1-19     subsection.  Each student who did not perform satisfactorily on any

1-20     [secondary exit-level] assessment instrument adopted under this

1-21     subsection when initially tested shall be given multiple

1-22     opportunities to retake that assessment instrument. In this

1-23     subsection, "institution of higher education" has the meaning

1-24     assigned by Section 61.003.

 2-1           SECTION 2.  Section 51.306(m)(1), Education  Code, is amended

 2-2     to read as follows:

 2-3                 (1)  A high school student who performs at a

 2-4     satisfactory [or above a] level on the secondary assessment

 2-5     instrument adopted under Section 39.023(b) designed to assess

 2-6     student readiness for higher education [Texas Assessment of

 2-7     Academic Skills test to be set by the board] is exempt from this

 2-8     section.  [This exemption will be in effect for three years from

 2-9     the date the Texas Assessment of Academic Skills test is taken and

2-10     the set score level is achieved.  Students enrolling for the first

2-11     time in Texas public colleges and universities after the three-year

2-12     period has elapsed must conform to all provisions of this section.]

2-13           SECTION 3.  Not later than September 1, 1998, the Texas

2-14     Education Agency shall adopt a secondary assessment instrument

2-15     designed to assess student readiness for higher education.

2-16           SECTION 4.  (a)  Sections 39.023(b) and 51.306(m)(1),

2-17     Education Code, as amended by this Act, take effect beginning

2-18     September 1, 1998.

2-19           (b)  Notwithstanding the amendment of Section 51.306(m)(1),

2-20     Education Code, by this Act, a student who qualifies for an

2-21     exemption under that section on or before August 31, 1998, is

2-22     entitled to claim the exemption to the same extent the student was

2-23     entitled to claim the exemption before amendment of that section by

2-24     this Act.

2-25           SECTION 5.  The importance of this legislation and the

2-26     crowded condition of the calendars in both houses create an

2-27     emergency and an imperative public necessity that the

 3-1     constitutional rule requiring bills to be read on three several

 3-2     days in each house be suspended, and this rule is hereby suspended,

 3-3     and that this Act take effect and be in force from and after its

 3-4     passage, and it is so enacted.